Barrister Jailed For Revenge Plot
Former West Yorkshire Barrister Jailed Over Huddersfield Gang Revenge Plot
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Key Points
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The shooting that triggered the alleged revenge plan took place on Blacker Road in Huddersfield on 14 September 2021; Jamal Nedd was later killed outside his home on Ripon Avenue while driving his mother to work.
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Akhtar was arrested during the police investigation in early 2022 and was charged the following year under the Serious Crime Act 2007 with encouraging or assisting the commission of an indictable offence.
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Akhtar denied wrongdoing and was convicted by a majority verdict after a five-day trial held in June.
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The Bar Council had selected Akhtar in 2020 as one of 10 social-mobility advocates for its #IAmTheBar campaign, which highlighted barristers who attended state schools or grew up in deprived areas.
Former West Yorkshire barrister Samreen Akhtar has been jailed for three years and three months after being convicted of encouraging grievous bodily harm. BBC reported that Akhtar was recorded proposing a revenge attack with her client, career criminal Tabish Ali, the day after he was shot in Huddersfield in September 2021. The plot emerged from a longstanding gang feud that left multiple people dead.
Akhtar had been recognized in 2020 as one of 10 social-mobility advocates for the Bar Council's #IAmTheBar campaign, which highlighted barristers from state schools and disadvantaged backgrounds. Daily Star noted she was once considered a "poster girl barrister" before her conviction by majority verdict in June after a five-day trial.
Shot Client Sparks Revenge Talk
On September 14, 2021, Tabish Ali was shot on Blacker Road in Huddersfield. The next day, police recorded Akhtar speaking with Ali about finding the shooter and inflicting serious injuries. BBC reported the conversation formed the basis of the revenge plot charges. Ali was a known criminal with a violent history tied to the local drug trade.
Gang Feud Escalates Into Murder
The shooting that prompted the revenge plot was part of a brutal turf war between rival drug gangs. Jamal Nedd, a member of one gang, was later killed outside his home on Ripon Avenue while driving his mother to work. Yahoo News noted that Tabish Ali was convicted of murdering Nedd alongside two other men in 2022 and received a life sentence.
Barrister Charged Under Serious Crime Act
Akhtar was arrested in early 2022 during the police investigation into the gang violence. Prosecutors charged her under the Serious Crime Act 2007 with encouraging or assisting the commission of an indictable offence. She denied all wrongdoing but was convicted by majority verdict after the five-day trial in June. The conviction ended her legal career.
Fall From Social-Mobility Champion
In 2020, the Bar Council had selected Akhtar as one of 10 social-mobility advocates for #IAmTheBar, a campaign promoting barristers from state schools and poor communities. Daily Star highlighted her role as an inspiration for disadvantaged young people seeking careers in law. Her jailing marks a dramatic fall from that position of influence and trust.
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